CNN’s Vedika Sud spent several hours in the Ghazipur camp on the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh border talking to farmers about their fears. She found a group of passionate people who are determined to stay for as long as it takes to get the laws repealed.
Go There asked Sud to answer some of your questions about their campaign.
It looks like the protesters are not wearing masks. How do these farmers handle the coronavirus situation?
Sud: I’m glad you asked. There is little attempt at social distance at the protest site, where organizers say about 10,000 farmers and their supporters have been camping. They work closely together in groups in communal kitchens and at temporary supply stores, and at night they sleep side by side in trucks and tents. We saw several protesters bumping into tractors, singing and dancing as they drove through the camp. And as leaders deliver their speeches, hundreds of spectators sit cheek-to-yak near the scene to listen to them. Surprisingly, we could not spot one person with a mask!
I asked many farmers about this and their answers were worrying and unscientific. Some said they came from villages where there were no cases, and that they saw no reason to wear a mask. Others mocked us because we even asked. Many have no fear of catching Covid-19, but one farmer told me that he would rather die of the virus than adopt the new farming laws.
Why are farmers worried about the new laws?
Sud: Not all the farmers I spoke to understand the reforms, and many of them fear change. For decades, they work and sell their products according to specific guidelines. This huge shift to entering into contracts with private companies and trading with large companies instead of intermediaries can be intimidating.
The Indian government says the new laws will liberalize the agricultural market and reduce the exploitation of farmers. Their income could even double, the government says. Farmers, however, fear that opening up the market for private enterprises could cause price declines and lower incomes.
Most farmers protesting come from the northern states of Haryana and Punjab of India, where they receive guaranteed prices, or a minimum aid price (MSP), for certain crops, which enables them to invest in the next crop cycle.
Farmers are worried that the new laws will mean they will have to sell at prices below the MSP guarantee. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi insists the MSP will not be removed, and has accused the opposition of misleading farmers.
A big part of the problem is that the farmers do not trust the government.
How will the protests and campsites help farmers meet their demands?
Recently, the government offered to suspend the three agricultural reforms for 18 months, but the offer was rejected by farmers’ unions. They gave the government until October 2 to repeal the laws or face further action.
The protests have united farmers from northern India, and their numbers are increasing. One farmer told me that they are prepared to protest until the next general election in 2024, if they have to.
Not all farmers live in North India, but it is noteworthy that agriculture is the primary livelihood for 58% of the 1.36 billion inhabitants of India. This means that it is an important voting block.
Fatigue will set in at some point, and so will financial worries as the important harvest season approaches.
So far, at least 147 farmers have died due to suicide, accidents and exposure to cold weather, according to farmers’ unions and opposition leaders. Central and state authorities have not confirmed the death toll.
The farmers say they will not allow the loss of life in vain.
But the government has made it clear that it will not repeal the laws.
How is the US affected by this political issue?
Sud: The Biden administration is not directly affected by the farmers’ protests. However, the US embassy in New Delhi issued a statement after the Indian government temporarily cut off Internet access at the protest sites in January.
In its statement, the US embassy said “the internet is fundamental to freedom of expression and a hallmark of freedom of speech.” It also called on the government and farmers’ unions to continue talking to resolve the issue.
In December, some U.S. lawmakers wrote to then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in support of the protesters. The letter said the issue is of concern to many Native American Americans with links to Punjab and other Indian states.
Many Indian Americans from Punjab’s Sikh community who settled in the US have families and friends in India who participate in or support the protest.
But the Indian government has made it clear that any international interference is unwelcome.
“Some of these established interest groups have also tried to mobilize international support against India.”